


Adventures in Portland

by storybuyer



Category: Leverage, The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: And I think they'd be cute together, Because it's season two and Stone hasn't gotten his act together, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-16 12:25:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5828521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storybuyer/pseuds/storybuyer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What the other LITs didn't know is that Cassandra had taken to exploring in her free time. AKA Cassandra meets Eliot and they get along great</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cassandra had never been to a brewpub before

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first I have written in a while, so please be kind and give feedback!!

It was after they had all split ways. Cassandra had moved to Portland sometime after the fairytale case. In between what her clippings book threw at her, she explored Portland, visiting everything from flea markets to designer stores. Basically, she was relishing her newfound freedom. Cassandra had lived alone in New York, but it seemed that everywhere she went there was someone that her parents knew, or someone who has gone to school with her. But not in Portland. Here she was perfectly anonymous. It was great.

 

She remembers the day she found the brewpub. It was after a particularly mind-bending mission (it turns out that the Great Wall of China is actually a sleeping dragon, go figure) and she decided to find a place to eat and drink. That being said, she also needed a place that was within walking distance for both her apartment and the Annex. After filing away the materials from her mission ( a music box, some golden apples, and an Elf Queen's shoe), googling restaurants in the are (she was not avoiding the country-themed one, she just didn't want to walk that far), her search landed her the perfect place. The BridgePort Brewpub. 

 

Cassandra was not athletic by any means. Granted, her line of work requires a good amount of running, jumping, etc., but it's all adrenaline. Adrenaline which has well worn out by the time she puts on her jacket in the Annex and says goodnight to Jenkins. Despite being dreadfully tired, she also knows that she does not want to go home quite yet, having promised herself to have a new experience every week. And it was already Friday. 

 

Walking through Portland at night is an experience. Like any place, there are areas that one would want to avoid, and ones that are safe to walk at night. Unfortunately, both seem to blend together when you're trying to follow google maps on your phone. After passing a particularly dark alley, Cassandra made a decision to repeat a small mantra to herself. " I have faced mystical creatures, I have faced the Big Bad Wolf, Baird is probably gps tracking me." And if that didn't work, she counted. By the time she found her way to a street that looked familiar ( is that the coffee shop Ezekial got kicked out of that one time?), she was significantly calmer. A few more right turns ( 5 ) and she arrived at her destination. Checking one last time to see if she had her wallet, phone, and house keys, Cassandra walked inside the brewpub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about Portland, so it's mostly generalization here... I also feel like Cassandra went on a coffee run with Ezekial exactly one time, and now he calls it " The Great Mocha Disaster"


	2. Eliot has never met a syntheste before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story I'm assuming that Parker and Hardison are together, and that they and Eliot keep in regular contact with Nate and Sophie, who are also together.

Eliot has done many things. Things he that he is definitely not proud of, and things that make him want to take a bath in bleach. But one thing that he had never had before is a routine, or some semblance of one. When he work for the military, it wasn't really a routine, but more of a monotonous cycle, and when he worked for Moreau there was just specific time and dates, the rest was more on the spot. So having the ability to work the brewpub every Friday evening was a new experience. He got to know the regulars, joke with the staff, and cook to his hearts content. Hardison and Parker also had realized the importance of a routine, having their own that was as intricate and confusing as one of Parker's rigs. It worked for them, and Eliot's routine worked for him.

By the time it was 8:00 pm, Eliot was well into his routine. He had been cooking for the crowd that came in around 6, and as it died down he sat at the bar to observe the few that came in later. One thing he noticed about this crowd is that it was about a 50/50 mix of brewpub regulars and people coming to the establishment the first time. He was sitting at the bar chatting with a regular ( the guy was telling him how to grow peppers, which he already knew how to do, but it would be rude not to at least pretend to pay attention) , when he saw the woman walk in. Now, a lot of women walk into the brewpub, and a lot of women catch his eye as they walk into the brewpub, but Eliot wanted desperately to escape this conversation. Seeing that the woman was seated at the bar, he quickly made an excuse and made his way over to her, as he drew nearer, the more detail he could make out. She had red hair that glowed in the lights of the pub, and she had on a white cardigan over what appeared to be a blue dress with white polka dots. What really drew him in was the concentration that she read the menu in her hands, focusing intently on the items on it. Sitting next to her, Eliot smiled and said " I recommend the chili myself."

The poor thing jumped at the sound of his voice. Eliot quickly backtracked " I didn't mean to startle ya." . As she turned to him, he could see she had these giant blue eyes, that quickly grew bright as she threw a brilliant smile at him. " It's fine." She told him in a flustered voice, " I just didn't realize someone had sat next to me." . Eliot chuckled as she gripped the laminated menu nervously and introduced himself. " My name is Eliot, what's yours?". The woman set her menu down on the bar in front of her and said " My name is Cassandra. Now you said you recommended the chili?". 

 

Cassandra had ended up going with the chili, and after it had arrived she had insisted that there was just too much for her, and that Eliot had to have some. Eliot complied, and as they ate they talked about everything from the best markets in Portland to the best way to eat a potato ( he thought french fries were best, while Cassandra preferred baked potatoes). Suddenly she asked him " Are you related to a Jacob Stone?". Eliot raised an eyebrow.

" Jacob Stone?" . Cassandra nodded, staring at him for his reaction. The name wasn't familiar, and although he's heard of a company with the name, he didn't know a person with the name. " Never heard of him." . Cassandra sighed and took a sip of her drink. Eliot didn't bother asking about the question, they had hit it off, and he was not willing to risk what seems like a potential date for odd questions. They soon got back into the easy conversation they maintained before, and soon the pub around them was empty and Amy was closing up. Cassandra had been leaning back laughing ( he just told some story involving Parker and a carousel) when she spotted the windows. He saw her lips move as she began to mumble what seemed like, math? Eliot leaned in to hear better. From what he could make out, she was using the angles on light from outside to tell the time. Suddenly Cassandra swayed in her chair, her eyes flicking left and right, and her voice became louder, saying things about colors and smells. Unsure of what to do, but knowing he had to do something, Eliot put his hand on the small of her back to steady her. She suddenly focused in on him, and then the subject changed. Instead of angles, it was patterns and statistics. After a few more moments, she seemed back to herself and embarrassed. He moved back to his seat, and took a sip of his beer. She stared at her lap and they sat in silence. Finally, he broke it. " Are you alright?". She nodded mutely.

Amy had finished cleaning up behind them. Giving a wave to Eliot, she disappeared into the back room. He took the silence as an opportunity to observe Cassandra. She still stared into her lap, some strands of her hair falling out from behind her ears, and her lips set in a straight line that was so different from the smile she had earlier. Her hands were clenched, knuckles white and, Eliot just now noticed, a small gold bracelet around her wrist. Deciding that she wasn't going to speak anytime soon, he stood up with his glass and walked behind the bar to clean it. When he was done, he wiped down the counter and grabbed her unfinished drink. By now she was watching him cautiously. He soon placed a glass of cold water in front of her and leaned against the bar in front of her. She was still watching him, her hands never moving from her lap. Eliot smiled softly at her. " I know when I get rattled, I always drink water. " She gave a bitter laugh. " So the water is for you?" . He frowned at her response.

Cassandra saw him frown and she seem to become even sadder. " I'm sorry." she said in a low voice, beginning to play with her bracelet. Eliot continued to watch her, staying silent in hope that she'll speak more. " I have synthestia, and sometimes it gets hard to control." He nodded, making a mental note to have Hardison find out what that was later. " It sometimes throws people off, which is why I don't say 'Hello my name is Cassandra and when I do math I smell breakfast.' " . By now Cassandra was rambling, and she had also began standing up, putting her hands on the bar to push her chair back. Seeing that she was about to leave, Eliot placed one of his hands on hers. She stopped mid-sentence and stared at him with wide eyes. " So what your tellin' me is that you have this ability that sometimes gets away from ya?" . She nodded in reply to his question. He smiled and took her other hand. " I can understand that. " . She smiled shakily at him, and he moved his hands off of hers. Cassandra kept her hands on the bar, and Eliot walked around the bar and sat beside her again. Smiling at him more confidently this time, she took a sip of water and began to tell him about synthestia.

An hour later saw them standing near the entrance of the pub. Cassandra had shyly given Eliot her number, and he had accepted with a smile. As he watched her walk outside, but not towards the parking lot, he ran outside. " Cassandra!" She turned towards him, and he jogged closer to her. " Please don't tell me you're walking." She smiled at him and put her hands deeper into her coat pockets. " Yes, I am. My apartments not far from here." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. " It's close to midnight, and it's pretty cold out.". In reality, the weather was fine if you had a coat, but he was worried about the pretty redhead walking alone at night. Her shoulders shrugged in response, " I walked here from work, I'll be fine.". " Let me give you a ride." She paused and stared at him as he continued. " I know you can take care of yourself but I'll just sleep better if I give ya a ride." He finished and he stared back at her. She bit her lip, but smiled at him. " Well sleep is very important. Alright, you can give me a ride." Chuckling, he grabs her hand and pulls her back towards the pub. " Let me just grab my keys." .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for another round of storybuyer's headcanons! Cassandra likes baked potatoes because she got to choose the toppings and stuff for her baked potato, and it was one of the few things she got to choose when she was younger.


	3. Hardison never researches Eliots dates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this little thing takes place during the second chapter, while Eliot and Cassandra are eating and chatting.

Of course that doesn't mean he doesn't do some basic googling. It just means that he doesn't dig for medical records and stuff. He could easily find out her social security number, but Hardison sticks to finding out her name. Eliot was sure as hell never going to tell him. Parker appears beside him ( he decided that was a great way to describe how she moved) and rests her chin on his shoulder, her hands absentmindedly paying with the strings of his hoodie. " What are you doing?" When she talked her chin jabbed into his shoulder, but she rarely initiated contact, so he wasn't going to complain. His fingers continued to type as he replied " Looking up the girl that Eliots talking too." with the hand that wasn't typing, he point to the security feed in front of them. Her chin dug into him again " .He's been down there a while." Hardison hummed in agreement, transferring the information so it was more easily read ( force of habit). The pain continued as Parker spoke. " Eliot never talks for someone this long unless he's going to sleep with her. Do you think he's going to sleep with her?" His fingers paused for a moment and he observed the screen for a few moments. Eliot was talking animatedly to the red head, and she was listening intently to him. Hardison shook his head. " I don't know Parker, that girl doesn't seem like the type to just sleep with someone." Parker sighed and moved so the side of her head rested on his shoulder. " Well I hope he doesn't sleep with her because if he does then he'll get all sulky." Chuckling, Hardison nodded his agreement because she was right, Eliot was grumpy after one night stands. Closing his computer with one hand and wrapping an arm around Parker, he gets more comfortable on the couch before saying " What did you steal today?".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parker and Hardison are the cutest couple, and Hardison has this habit of transferring stuff so it's easier to read because he always does that for cases and it just became muscle memory.


	4. Cassandra never misses an appointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place around "And the Infernal Contract", and I apologize for the updating delay. There will definitely be quicker updates from now on. Thanks to Honorat for the tip on the location of the Annex!

It became sort of a tradition for her and Eliot to spend Friday evenings together. She would walk from the Annex to the pub, and then he usually was waiting at their usual spot ( she had never had a usual spot before, except maybe at the Annex). After she sat down, they ate and talked, sometimes until the next morning. Then he drove her home. Soon they began meeting on Saturdays, then whenever both of them were free. But Friday evenings they always ate together at the brewpub. 

Unfortunately, it was also a Friday when they had that case in Baird's friends town. And when she was finally back in the Annex, Cassandra was too busy recovering from gas poisoning to think about what time it was. She fell asleep on the cot with her phone on the floor beside her.

When she woke up, it was because she could faintly hear Eliot's voice, and more clearly, Jenkins. " Yes, I'm Ms.Cillian's colleague, I'm afraid there was a gas leak in the workplace. She is quite alright I assure you, just resting." Cassandra sat up slowly, her head spinning. Seeing her, Jenkins turned, still holding her phone. " Actually, she seems to be awake, so I will give her the phone. Good bye." Handing the phone to her, Jenkins picked up the blanket that had fallen when she sat up and set it at the end of the cot. Nodding at her, he walked to check on the other LITs. 

" Eliot?" She winced at how hoarse her voice sounded. " Cass!" The relief in his voice made her smile as he continued on. " I was worried because you didn't come for dinner, and I kept texting you and I finally decided to call then Jenkins picked up are you alright?" Cassandra giggled quietly and played with the edge of the cot. " I'm fine, there was a gas leak at work, and they didn't catch it for a while. When they did find it, we had to be kept for observation. I'm sorry you were worried." Eliot sighed and she could imagine him running his hand through his hair. " And you're alright now?" She paused for a moment. " I guess I'd have to ask Jenkins, he's the one that's been taking care of us." Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Ezekial was stirring, and that Jenkins was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. Lowering her voice, she began slowly inching her way off the cot."Hey Eliot." He responded in a whisper. " What?" She was off the cot now and was walking quickly (well as quick as she could manage, which was actually very slow) and quietly towards where she had left her clothes from earlier that day, keeping an eye out for any of the others. " How quickly can you get to St.John's Bridge?" 

Cassandra had made it to the small bathroom she shared with Baird and began to change, which was somewhat difficult with the phone. " Pretty quickly, what are you planning?" Standing on one foot to put on her shoe, she finally got it and leaned against the counter. " I'm planning to sneak out. Want to help?" Cassandra looked in the mirror and winced. " Cass you are a grown woman, are ya really sneakin' out?" She held the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she tucked her shirt into her skirt. "Technically I was never cleared to leave, and I have never really snuck out before, so I wanted to give it a try." He chuckled and she smiled as she shifted to hold the phone with her hand. " I guess I'll help you darlin'." Triumphant, Cassandra silently danced for a moment before she realized that it was a bad idea. "Did you say St.John's Bridge?". Still feeling nauseous from her unplanned sudden movement, she barely managed to speak. " Uh yeah, and Eliot?" " Yeah?" " Can you bring some soup?" " Anything you want." Eliot hung up after that, and she stared at the phone in her hand.

Sneaking across the Annex to leave was more difficult. Ezekial had fallen back to sleep, but now Stone was waking up, and if he saw her he would ask questions. Deciding to stick to the darker edges of the main room, Cassandra inched her way towards the exit. At one point she swore Stone had looked her way but he turned on his cot, with his back to her. Grinning, she got to the exit and walked outside to wait for Eliot. 

She didn't have to wait long. Soon his car pulled up to the curb, and he rolled down the window. " Did someone call for a getaway car?" Giggling, she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. Smiling at her, Eliot gently grabbed her hand. " Ya sure your alright?". Cassandra smiled back at him, intertwining their fingers. " Yeah, I'm positive." Turning to put on her seatbelt, she missed the look in his eyes as he stared at their hands. By the time she turned back around, he had his eyes on the rear view mirror. " So nobody's gonna come chasin' after us?" She let go of his hand to playfully ( but weakly, whoa was she dizzy) punch his arm. " If you don't drive they might. Some getaway driver you are." Turning to her in mock offense he pointed a finger at her. "I'll have you know that I am an amazing getaway driver." ( He was). She grinned at him. "Prove it.". Pressing the gas, Eliot began driving to her apartment.

Cassandra gave Eliot directions at first, but she was exhausted, and engines always made her sleepy. By the time Eliot realized that she had been quiet for too long, they were already at her apartment. Opening his door, he got out, shut it quietly, and walked to her side. Opening the door, he grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. " Cass, we're here." Cassandra slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him. Giving her time to wake up, he opened the door to the back seat and grabbed the food he brought for her, setting it on the roof of the car, he turned to go back to Cassandra's open door, where she was slowly moving out of the car. "Hey Cass?" He didn't get much in response, just a sort of hmmm sound. " Do you trust me?". There was a silence after he said that, and then he heard her soft reply. " Yes.". Walking closer to her, he could see that she had just gotten her seatbelt off, her small hands shaking. It was how pale she was that helped him make his decision. Eliot grabbed the food and put it in Cassandra's lap, her blue eyes looking at him quizzically before gasping as he picked her up gently, his arms under her knees and her head against his shoulder. Closing his car door with his foot, he began walking towards the entrance of her apartment building. 

Her apartment building had decent security, something that Baird insisted on. Not that the people in the building were dangerous, it was mostly elderly couples or groups of roommates. Quietly, Cassandra told Eliot her code to enter the building (6912) and then which floor to go too ( 3). Standing in the elevator, Cassandra let her head rest on his shoulder, and as she felt herself doze off she mumbled to him that her key was in the plant by her door ( she actually said "It's in Pokes", but Eliot figured it out that Pokes was the cactus by her door). She didn't wake up until Eliot was laying her down on her couch and taking the food off her lap. Seeing her move, he quickly crouched in front of her. " Hey, you need your rest." She stared at him sleepily as he put his hand on her forehead. " You're running a fever and everything." Cassandra tried to clear her head and sat up. Eliot put his hand on her back to help her, and as soon as she was upright, she scooted over and patted the seat next to her. He sat down, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

" Thank you." Eliot looked down at his lap and grabbed her hand. " It wasn't any trouble." Cassandra let him hold her hand and she subtlety cuddled into him (of course he noticed but he didn't say anything). " Would it be trouble if you stayed and watched a movie with me?" She bit her lip as she waited for his reply. His arm moved around her waist as he moved her so she was cuddled more comfortably into his side. "Cassandra, you'll never be any trouble for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra's PIN number is actually multiples of 3, which is the floor of her apartment. As for the building, just imagine that she lives in the building from New Girl or Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please comment! I love feedback.


End file.
